Slurps

Some Like it Hot: A Round-Up of L.A.'s Spiciest Cocktails + A Jalapeño Martini Recipe - Los Angeles Restaurants and Dining - Squid Ink

La Velvet Margarita Cantina's Mexican Margarita might be the hottest we've found, with loads of chopped jalapeños just waiting to set your entire body ablaze. While you're at it, you might as well try their habanero version. Just make sure you have a gallon of milk - or a fire extinguisher - nearby.

via blogs.laweekly.com

More Cocktail Science: Why Do My Shaker Cans Get Sucked Together?

 You’ve no doubt noticed that when you properly shake an alcoholic drink, the parts of your shaker are drawn tightly together by an internal vacuum force.  Why does this happen and how big is the force?

via www.cookingissues.com

Ice Technology

ice making is the perfect balance of art and science. How does it work?

via www.kold-draft.com

How Kold Draft ice machines work

Sneak Peek: Beefeater Gin distiller teases with new limited edition gin sample

"What I've done this time around, is to take the Beefeater recipe and add three more botanicals: Hibiscus flowers, Elderflower and Black Currant leaf," says Payne.  "What I've tried to do is prepare a lighter style of gin for the summer."

via www.examiner.com

New limited edition gin from Beefeater coming this summer!

Philly Beer Week 2010 * June 4 - 13

via www.phillybeerweek.org

Philly beer week looked huge last year. Put it on the calendar.

Echoes of Prohibition

According to the ABC, no bar would be permitted to do anything but “the simple mixing of alcoholic beverages with other ingredients for immediate consumption.” For fans of infused spirits, classic cocktails, or the current bartending renaissance in general, it’s as if all a foodie’s favorite restaurants were told they could only serve raw food. Salad and sushi are nice and all, but some of us would like a broader spectrum of choices. For once the vodka advocates and the artisanal cocktail snobs are marching arm in arm together in indignation.

via www.metagrrrl.com

An excellent summary of the laws related to the current problem with infusions in San Francisco.

Living Proof - The New York Times

“A good schnapps should have no sweetness to it. It should be dry, even fierce, as in the case of grappa, or what the French call eau de vie. But after the kick of the alcohol has passed, after the fierceness is gone, your mouth should contain nothing but the aroma of the fruit. That’s why only the freshest pears or apples or plums should ever be used to make it. ”

via www.nytimes.com

Bubbly in lighter bottles

The new bottles are more than 2 ounces lighter than the old, see photo at left. A CIVC press release said using the new bottle will reduce the annual carbon output by 8,000 metric tons, equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 4,000 cars.

via leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com

Thieving baboons wipe out S.African vineyards: report

Baboons with a taste for Chardonnay grapes are terrorising farmers in South Africa's Western Cape wine region, munching tonnes of grapes ready for harvesting, local media reported on Monday.

via www.google.com

The wonderfully cheesy world of liquor ads

Advertising spirits on American television is not that old of a genre; it’s been permitted only since 1996. And to be honest, most of it so far has been a little … well, if we’re being honest, a little cheesy.

via voices.washingtonpost.com